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Choose an estate agent on four things: what the fee includes and when it becomes payable, the contract terms (agency type, tie-in period, notice), the evidence behind the valuation, and how the agent will market the home and progress the sale after an offer. Check that the agent belongs to an approved redress scheme. The headline percentage and the highest valuation are the two numbers that tell you least.

This guide is general information and not legal, tax or financial advice. Read any agency contract carefully before you sign, and ask a solicitor if a clause is unclear.

Fees and what they include

Agents in Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch charge in different ways: a percentage of the sale price, a fixed fee, a fee payable whether or not the home sells, or a combination with a minimum. Compare what you get for it.

  • When is the fee payable? On completion, on exchange, or up front? An up-front fee is paid even if the home never sells.
  • Is VAT included in the figure quoted?
  • What does it include? Photography, a floorplan, the EPC, portal listings, accompanied viewings, a board, sales progression.
  • What costs extra? Premium portal placement, video, a withdrawal fee, or a charge if you take the home off the market.

By law, before you are committed, an agent must give you in writing its fees, when they are payable and the services it will offer buyers. If any of that arrives after you have signed, ask why.

Sole agency, multi agency and sole selling rights

The contract will use one of these terms, and the Estate Agents (Provision of Information) Regulations 1991 set out what they mean.

Arrangement You pay the agent when Points to weigh
Sole agency Contracts are exchanged with a buyer introduced by the agent, or by another agent, during the sole agency period The most common arrangement. You can still sell privately without paying
Sole selling rights Contracts are exchanged during the period, even if you found the buyer yourself Avoid if a friend, neighbour or tenant might buy
Multi agency Contracts are exchanged with a buyer the paying agent introduced Usually a higher fee. The home appears more than once online

Watch for the phrase "ready, willing and able purchaser". If the contract uses it, you may owe the fee once the agent introduces a buyer who is prepared and able to exchange, even if you then decide not to sell.

Tie-in periods and notice

Most sole agency contracts run for a minimum period. Check:

  1. How long the tie-in lasts.
  2. How much notice you must give to end it, and in what form.
  3. Whether you stay liable if a buyer the agent introduced later buys through another agent, and for how long.

A shorter tie-in gives you more room if the marketing is not working. A long tie-in with a high valuation deserves a close look.

Local evidence

Ask each agent to show you the comparables behind its figure: homes like yours that have sold recently, not just ones listed at hopeful prices. An agent that knows the street can explain why a flat in one block sold for more than a similar flat in the next, or what a permit zone, a sea view or a short lease does to buyer interest. Our guide on how property valuations work explains what the evidence should look like.

Marketing

Ask how the home will be presented and where it will appear:

  • Who takes the photographs, and is there a floorplan?
  • Which property portals will it be listed on, and at what level?
  • How will material information be collected and shown? Listings must not leave out information buyers need, and National Trading Standards' Parts A, B and C remain the working checklist.
  • Who accompanies viewings, at what times, and is there weekend availability?
  • How often will you get feedback, and in what form?

What happens after an offer

Most of an agent's work begins after an offer. Ask how it checks a buyer's finance and chain before recommending an offer, who handles sales progression, and how often it will update you. An agent that issues the memorandum of sale promptly, chases searches and mortgage offers and keeps the chain informed is often the one that gets the sale to exchange. Conveyancing explained sets out each stage.

Redress and client money protection

At the time of writing every estate agent doing residential work in the UK must belong to a government-approved redress scheme, The Property Ombudsman or the Property Redress Scheme, which can investigate a complaint the agent has not resolved. Ask which one and read the agent's complaints procedure.

Letting and property management agents in England that hold landlords' or tenants' money must also belong to a client money protection scheme, a requirement since 1 April 2019. If the agent you choose also lets or manages property, ask for both certificates; they should be on display.

Warning signs

  • A valuation well above the others, with no sold evidence behind it.
  • Pressure to sign on the day of the visit.
  • A long tie-in combined with an up-front fee.
  • Fees, the agency type or the notice period that are not in writing before you sign.
  • No clear answer on which redress scheme the agent belongs to.
  • Vague answers about who will accompany viewings and handle the legal stage.

Questions to ask every agent

  • What is your fee, when is it payable, and is VAT included?
  • Which arrangement is this: sole agency, multi agency or sole selling rights?
  • How long is the tie-in, and what notice do I need to give?
  • Which sold homes did you compare mine with?
  • Who will take the photographs and accompany viewings?
  • How will you check a buyer's finance and chain?
  • Which redress scheme do you belong to?

Next steps

Read how to sell your home for the order of the sale, see how we approach selling your property, and compare high street and online estate agents.